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Friday, October 9, 2009

A Moral Dilemna

For the last several months I've been faced with a moral dilemna. Keep buying some of my favorite skin care and gift products from a catalog I enjoy browsing, whose representative is a friend of mine, or discontinue based on their advertising, which now includes naked women?

No personal body parts show; they are covered with arms, legs or bubbles. But you know it. They have no clothes on.

I consider this type of modeling, even though it may be for a major retailer and not pornographic, an exploitation of the model. However, to completely stop buying products from this company would mean a huge sacrifice on my part. I love their skin care, foundation, bath products, mascara and jewelry. They often have gift items on sale at tremendous prices. I hate the thought of starting from square one to find cosmetics I like, at affordable prices. But... I also hate when companies use sex to sell products.

What decision do you think I made?

If you said I quit purchasing from this source, you know me well. I cannot support this form of advertising. I will buy my skin care, cosmetics and fun jewelry elsewhere from now on. If enough people make choices like this, perhaps we'll start to see a few positive changes in our world.

And yes, I told my Avon representative that I was bothered by this, so she'd know why I quit.

Have you ever been faced with a moral or ethical dilemna in which you were forced to make a painful sacrifice? What did you do?

I really admire you for following your heart on this and doing what you thought was right. My oldest daughter has been dealing a lot with peer pressure and moral dilemmas in school (which is heartbreaking to me because she's only in second grade) and this post really hits home with me. I hope I am able to model this same kind of strength with her and help her make the right choice.

Jeanette: I faced that back in the early 1990's when I noticed television shows were going a way I couldn't approve of. I vowed in 1991 not to watch ANY new shows that year. I still don't watch one of the main networks because of the ownership and how they behave.

Funny thing about those shows I chose not to watch, they are now on TVLAND but I still don't watch them.

Yes. I have stopped going to movies that are R rated. I recently read an article where Pepsico, the maker of Pepsi products and I think owner of Taco Bell has established a Gay rights organization in Chicago. A whole organization. I love Pepsi and Taco Bell and believe it or not I love gays too. But the lifesytle is sinful and I can't support that and will not spend my money on any known Pepsico products.

They have also given a million dollars away to support gay and lesbian causes.

One Christmas I didn't give my teenagers money with their gifts as usual, but gift cards to "specific" stores of my choosing, because of the sexual ads promoted by the chains they liked. (My kids didn't like it much, but they got over it.) :)

That was a tough choice, but you did well. There were two things I objected to in a very new TV show this season that is all the rage. I thought it looked cute. It was except for those two things which I knew would lead to more of the same. Also, there's a book series that seems harmless which my daughter loves but I won't read it. She thinks I'm very square. Oh, well.

It's hard to stand up in this world and do what's right. I'm so proud of you! Just for the record those steamy pictures of women's naked bodies doesn't sway me to purchase? What are those men who head up their advertising companies thinking? Oh wait... ;)

Perhaps you remember the Paris Hilton ads for Carl's Jr. where she "washes" a car? I boycotted the store during the whole time they ran those ads. In fact, I even went in and said, "I would have loved to buy my whole family dinner right now, but because of the Paris ads, I cannot. Please pass this along to your manager." That way they saw money walking out the door!